Families across the district will be celebrating World Down Syndrome Day next week.

The awareness day takes place on March 21 and for the first time it will be observed by the United Nations.

Bradford charity, The Down Syndrome Training and Support Service, based at the Pamela Sunter Centre in Town Lane, Thackley, is hosting a family weekend at the Cedar Court Hotel in Bradford on the weekend of March 24 and 25, which will be attended by 93 children and their families.

The Bradford charity has also invited local schools and businesses to have a dress-up day on Wednesday to raise awareness, in the hope they will share information and dispel myths about Down Syndrome.

And to coincide with World Down Syndrome Day, a family which receives support from the charity has set up a campaign called ‘Just Want to Make a Difference’ to reach a fundraising target of £10,000.

The Kasia family are hosting a sponsored bike ride this Saturday from their home town of Batley to Bradford, and are expecting about 50 cyclists to take part.

They aim to arrive in Centenary Square at around 1pm, before travelling along Manningham Lane to Lister Park. They will call in at businesses on the way to collect donations and have produced a range of T-shirts to support their campaign.

The campaign was started by Akhtar Kasia, father of seven-year-old Ayyub, who has Down Syndrome.

He said the family wanted to increase awareness of the needs and requirements of disabled people in general.

“The Down Syndrome Training and Support service has played a significant role in our lives. We want to ensure that they continue their good work and positively impact other families,” he said.

“They do amazing work with more than 200 families, but they only have around four Asian families going for support.”

He added: “Families should not feel ashamed when it comes to requesting help and support for anything in life. The Kasia family also encouraged all people to get in touch and help raise awareness for this genuine cause.”

An online page has been set up for donations for the family’s cause at: justgiving.com/teams/ayyubkasia.